Love's New Direction
by SilverLover8169
Summary: no apocalypse for Buffy yet, and love has let her down yet again. When she is sent after a different kind of vampire can she survive. And maybe find love again? For Alice Cullen her family is falling apart and her lover, who she once thought immortal is dead. Will she be able to stay strong and see a new love in her future?
1. Chapter 1

Buffy cursed inwardly. "why did that damn vampire have to go crazy NOW of all times?" she thought as the counsel's private jet streaked towards Forks OR.  
Just when things seemed to be quieting down on the hell mouth Riley had to go and dump her for some skanky special ops chic! And now she had to go to some little backwater town in Oregon and kill some psycho vamp who was SUPPOSED to be a good guy. Damn vamp couldn't just keep his cool instead of going postal cause someone upset his girlfriend. Fourteen dead and almost that many injured all over a few hurt feelings.  
Faith was at home, still healing from her last counsel mission. The other slayer had broken half the bones in her body, she wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. To be honest she deserved a break. The counsel had been sending her out so often that she almost never unpacked her duffle bag anymore. Faith was the one that always got sent out, while Buffy got to stay home and take care of the hell mouth's occasional flare-ups. It wasn't exactly a fair deal for her fellow slayer. But this was the worst time to have to go on a mission for the counsel. Buffy really didn't even feel like going on patrol now, let alone flying north to deal with a special mission case. Dragging herself from her mental rant, Buffy opened the counsel dossier on the vampire she was being sent to kill.

Alice opened her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. Something was coming to kill Edward, but for the life of her she couldn't see what it was. There had only ever been two people she couldn't "see" with her gift. The slender brunette spun out of her room and ran to the living room, sure enough her sister in law and niece were still on the couch reading, just as she had left them. Alice shook her head again. She hated that anyone could escape her "sight", but the more people she couldn't see the less she could protect those she loved.  
She knew Edward had gone over the edge crazy, hells bells, even Bella and little Renesme knew he wasn't ok. The night Edward had slaughtered the humans Bella had grabbed their daughter and fled to the safe house where Alice had been waiting.  
The humans had just been playing a prank, it should not have gone as far as it did, but it had upset Bella and Renesme enough for them to cry. And the minute Edward had seen their tears something had broken in his mind. Alice couldn't begin to guess what had happened in her adopted brother's mind. She only knew that he was lost, if someone didn't stop Edward soon it would bring the Voultori down on them all. The problem was it was breaking all the Cullen's hearts to think about what needed to be done about Edward. But now something, or someone, was coming to kill him and she felt torn between relief and the need to protect her brother.  
Silently Alice began to cry. Jasper was gone, so was Esme, they had died trying to stop Edward. Even with his mind broken her brother was as deadly as ever. Their family was already so broken, could she just stand by and lose Edward too?

Holy shit, Buffy hated all the different subspecies of vamps! This vamp, Cullen, had to be dismembered and the pieces burned to be truly dead. Add to that he was supposed to be wicked fast and have poison in his fangs. Damnit! How was she going to going to kill him? And it mentioned him having a nest of others with him, though there was no word on whether they would protect him.  
The slayer tossed the dossier on the seat across from her and rubbed at her temples. This was going to be a hell of a fight, and she didn't know if her heart was in it.  
Even with the hell mouth closed and the worst of things behind them there were still days when Buffy really wished she had never heard the term slayer before. Then she thought of her friends back home and how many of them she never would have met if not for being the slayer, including her "sister" slayer, Faith. Buffy glanced at her cell phone, checking the time, two more hours till they would land. Maybe she should get some sleep, maybe she would come up with a plan to kill Cullen in her dreams, gods knew stranger things had happened. She snorted, yeah right, that would be the day, but she was tired. She had been up for just over seventy-two hours already. One thing after another had kept her up and running, and then there had been no time to sleep before the counsel's jet was scheduled to take off.  
Remembering the last few days Buffy closed her eyes.  
The first emergency had come after Dawn had convinced her that she was ready to accompany her on patrols. The slayer's younger sister had been doing well in training drills all week, so Buffy reluctantly agreed to Dawn coming on patrol with her. However, while going through the abandoned warehouses they had gotten separated by a four pack of vamps. While Buffy was dealing with the older vamps, one of the younger ones had bitten Dawn. Once Buffy had dusted them all it had been off to the hospital to get Dawn stitched up. Then she had had to deal with bailing Riley out of jail, though why his unit couldn't do that she didn't have a fucking clue. And then the asshole had had the nerve to break up with her as she was dropping him off at home!  
Once Buffy actually got home there was the urgent call from the counsel to return. The counsel was in a big hurry to have this particular vamp dead. The plane was leaving that evening and she was expected to be on it. Fourteen dead wasn't something to laugh off, but neither was it the highest kill count she had seen. But the counsel had called and it was in the job description that she would answer. There was really only time to make sure everyone knew where she was going and could handle things at home till she got back. And then to throw her stuff into her own duffle bag and get her butt to the tiny airstrip just outside of Sunnydale. Damn, it had been a long few days!


	2. Chapter 2

Alice stretched, she really should go and feed but she didn't want to leave Bella and her niece alone. Sometimes she missed sleeping. Even though she couldn't remember her human life it would have been nice to be able to turn off her mind for a few hours, especially at times like this. She had been trying to "see" all the previous day and most of the night. All she had gotten for her efforts was frustrated. At least she could be grateful that she wasn't susceptible to headaches, because hers would have been splitting by now. Getting up from her seated lotus position Alice began to pace. Mentally she was going over what little she had seen of her brother's death. There really wasn't much just that something struck him and then she had seen him lying in pieces, true death for them. Edward just disappeared for minutes and then he was dead. Alice pressed the back of her hand against her mouth, oh her poor Jasper. She loved him so much she didn't know what she would do without him. The only thing keeping her moving now was trying to keep Bella and Renesme safe. Alice's niece didn't really know why she couldn't go back to her father. They all tended to forget that Renesme was still a child, despite her intelligence and her gifts.  
Making a decision Alice strode to the living room to let Bella know she was going hunting for a little while.  
Outwardly Alice looked completely calm; inside she was a storm of confusion and pain. Bella mustn't know how upset she was or exactly what she had seen the other night. She hated lying to her sister in law, but she also knew that Bella wouldn't be able to handle what was to happen. The brunette seer just had to keep reminding herself that Edward would want her to protect Bella and Renesme at all costs. As she jogged from the house she repeated that as her new mantra in her head.  
Peering through the trees Alice watched the bobcat as it tore pieces off the deer it had killed. The cat's ears twitched even though Alice knew it could neither hear nor smell her; she was way to far away for the cat's senses to pick up.  
She would wait till the cat finished eating, after all, a fellow hunter deserved to enjoy their kill. While she watched the bobcat eat she silently thanked it for its life that would sustain her. All things had a place in nature she thought, even vampires. Especially those like her family who only hunted animals. That thought saddened her, reminding her of how far over the line Edward had gone. Looking down at her own hands Alice tried to remember her origins, she couldn't remember where she had come from or who had made her a vampire. Not knowing was the hardest thing. Had she been a killer? Or had she always been a "vegetarian". She just didn't know.  
Shaking herself out of the old worries, Alice looked up to see the bobcat had finished eating and was now sitting on a sunny boulder cleaning its face and paws. That meant it was Alice's turn to eat.  
The bobcat never even saw the brunette vampire coming.  
Alice hated killing, even animals, so she always made sure it was a very quick death. The animals didn't need to suffer for her to eat. In her opinion it was more humane than the ways humans killed their food. Maybe just one more, then she would need to get back to the safe house.

Buffy stretched, the jet would be landing in a few minutes and while she wasn't really rested she had gotten some sleep. "Oogh, big tough slayer no need sleep" she thought to herself, and then laughed aloud. Just then the pilot came over the intercom advising that they would be landing and she needed to fasten her seatbelt. She grumbled to herself as she did up her seatbelt, she had been just about to go to the restroom and wash her face.  
The plane touched down with barely a bump and slowly coasted to a stop. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief; she actually didn't like flying but would never tell the council that. It was something about the possibility of dying without having the chance to fight it; after all, slayers were born to be fighters.  
Hoping out of her seat Buffy darted into the bathroom. For having had three hours of sleep she didn't look bad. The slayer splashed water on her face, brushed her hair, and rubbed a finger over the slight film on her teeth, before sighing and heading out into the cabin of the plane to grab her bag.  
At the edge of the tarmac a Watcher was waiting for her. "Miss summers, I have been assigned to be at your disposal while you are here. This is your motel key and there is also a key to the rental car, its just there" he says as he hands Buffy a large envelope and points to a sleek little Porsche parked just on the other side of the fence separating the tarmac from the parking lot and buildings. "My number is in there, if you need anything at all don't hesitate to call" shaking her hand he turned and walked away. She watched him walk away and wondered if the Watchers were always this strange when Faith was out on a mission. Shrugging Buffy dug the car keys out of the envelope and headed for the Porsche.  
With her duffle bag in the seat next to her Buffy took the time to look through the contents of the envelope that the Watcher had given her. There was a brochure for the Garden Inn where she was already checked in, noting the address she set that aside. Next there was a contact sheet listing the name, address, email, and cell and home phone numbers for the Watcher who had met her, his name was Corey Lawrence. The next page was a detail map of the town of Forks, complete with specific locations marked. My, Corey sure was helpful. Laying the map down she looked over the last paper in the stack, it was a pages of handwritten notes. Very thorough, detailed notes on the vampire she was here for and his "family". She decided to read them over better when she got to her motel room. Double checking the map and motel address the slayer started her rental car and left the airstrip.  
Frowning Buffy shut and locked the motel room door behind her dropping her bag beside the bed. She wasn't much for traveling but why did every motel have to have the same pictures on the wall? Moving through the room she noted that it had its own mini-fridge and microwave, as well as a coffee maker. At least it was all fairly clean she thought. Sitting at the table the slayer took out the notes and the map and began to study them. According to the dossier the council had provided Cullen had lived in Forks off and on for the last hundred years or so. She would need to learn the town back to front if she was to have a chance of catching this vamp off guard. What was interesting was the fact that the notes said his "family" had been seen trying to control and contain him after he went nuts. Maybe she wouldn't have to fight all of them after all. God she missed the days when all she had had to deal with were the vamps that turned to dust when staked. Demons, weres, ghosts, subspecies of vamps, she hadn't signed on for all that crap. Damn her muscles were tight from all the worrying. But she needed more weapons and a bit of time to get the lay of the town before she could go after Cullen.  
With nothing else to do the slayer pushed furniture out of her way and began her workout routine.

Back from her hunt Alice headed strait for the shower. She was never a messy eater but always had to shower first thing afterwards. What no one except for Jasper had ever known was that no matter how many times she bathed Alice never felt truly clean. The biggest secret she kept was that even the smallest touch from one of her family made her feel dirty and she herself didn't know why. Alice twisted the shower knobs, turning the water on as hot as it would go, then stood by the laundry hamper and stripped. Her pale skin glistened slightly under the bright bathroom lights. Looking in the mirror she was all lean lines and angles, almost but not quite too thin looking. The swell of breasts and slight rounding of her stomach softened the hard angles enough to be perfectly feminine. Slowly she ran her hands down her sides and then back up her stomach and finally over her breasts teasing the dark nipples gently, wishing desperately that it was Jasper's hands rather than her own. Forcing her eyes open Alice met her own golden gaze in the mirror. What was wrong with her? She knew people found her attractive, human and vampire alike. But why couldn't she stand to be touched most of the time? Oh, she hid it well, even frequently hugging her family, but inside she always cringed.  
The bathroom was filling with steam, fogging her image in the mirror and further softening the lines of her body. She traces the mirror image with her eyes, pale pale skin, short layered hair with highlights and lowlights, a pixyish face, slender hips and waist, long legs, full breasts, physically there was nothing wrong with her. And she wanted to be touched, really she did, but even though she had loved Jasper something inside her still shrank away from his touch. She had just learned over the years to endure and not let that part of her show. Frowning Alice turned from the mirror and stepped into the shower spray. The water, which was perfect for her, would have left a human with first degree burns. This was how she always needed it to be; boiling heat to try and wash away the filth of sins she couldn't remember. Like Lady Macbeth, shouting, out damned spot! Alice scrubbed herself in silence, finally just standing under the spray and feeling it run down her body. Little rivulets running between her thighs and dripping off of taught nipples. And she could feel each and every one. Alice shivered, enjoying the delicious sensation of the water teasing her body. And for a short time forgetting everything around her.

After a quick call to the Watcher Corey and a long workout Buffy was ready to drop. All she needed was a quick shower and she could pass out for a while. As she washed Buffy's thoughts turned to Riley. That damned little boy, running around playing soldier and toying with her heart. She had thought he understood her life, well obviously he hadn't understood her. Oh god, why did she always have to fall for the guys who would break her heart the worst? Shaking her head the slayer tips her head back, letting the shower spray hit her full in the face. She needed a good fight to help her forget about her damned broken heart. Yeah, cause there was nothing like fighting for your life to make you remember that you wanted to live, she snorted sarcastically. Hoping out of the shower she towels off roughly and pulls on sweats for pajamas.  
Two minutes after her head hit the lumpy motel pillow the slayer was snoring softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy woke slowly, stretching and gradually remembering where she was. She really wasn't used to traveling.

Without getting out of bed the slayer grabbed her cell phone and called home to check on Dawn and Faith. "Yello" an uninterested voice answered on the fifth ring. "Hi Faith" Buffy replied. "Hey B" the other slayer answered, sounding slightly more cheerful. "What's going on at home?", "oh, not much. You know, just doing keg stands with Dawnie in the Summer's kitchen at oh, ten am." Faith replied without missing a beat, sarcasm thick in her voice. "Faith" Buffy said sharply.

Faith chuckled, "You know me B, I'm just funnin'. We're having breakfast. What's up with the slaying biz?" Buffy paused, "This is gonna be a tough one Faith. This vamp is master level strong and fast, and he has to be dismembered".

"Sorry B, I wish I could be there for that fight" "I know Faith, I know. You just focus on healing" Buffy knew Faith lived for the fight, but there was only so much one person, slayer or not, could do. "How are Will and Tara?" "The witches, they're fine, they got each others backs. And Dawn and I got each others backs too. You don't gotta worry B. We're good here, it's you we're worried about".

Buffy tried not to think about what faith meant by that last statement. She knew there was something up with Faith and Dawn, but she really didn't want to think about what it might be right now.

"Oh, bright side, no new rampages since I got here" Buffy piped up " good, I guess" replied Faith hesitatingly. Deflating slightly Buffy looked down at her hands.

This had to be the worst part of going on assignment, the waiting for things to move into place. She needed to pick that watcher's brain for more info on Cullen, and she needed to get the lay of the land here. Now more than ever she wished she knew where this vamp's family stood on his going rogue. Maybe if they really were peaceful she could get their help?, or at least learn more about how to handle Edward.

A sudden yell in her ear reminded the slayer that she had been on the phone with Faith when she drifted off on her little mental tangent.

"Huh?, What?, sorry Faith. Just had a thing." Buffy stuttered. "Where'd you go Buff?" Faith asked, sounding like she had repeated the question multiple times. "I was just, you know, lost in thought-land; thoughtfulness, thinking?". Faith sighed "come on B, you gotta be careful. Gotta keep sharp. No drifting off in thoughts, not while that vamp is running around free". "No, I know. I will be. I'm careful girl. No mental wandering on the job. I promise."

"Anyway, I better get going. I need to do a few things today . . . . ." Buffy trailed off slowly. "Okay B, eyes open, you hear?" Faith said sternly. "Aye Aye, sister" Buffy replied firmly.

After hanging up the phone the slayer pushed herself out of bed and set about getting ready to head out into the town of Forks.

Hair and make-up took less than ten minutes since she didn't really care what the locals, or anyone else, might think of her. After all, she was just here to do a job, not to make friends.

Cruising though town Buffy had to wonder what people did in towns this small, and why they would want to live here in the first place. Especially a nest of vampires. A place this small it would be hard to hide it if anyone went missing, or even if livestock disappeared. Shaking her head the blonde slayer turned east from town and headed for the address the local watcher had given her.

As she turned into the drive twenty minutes later she spotted a huge barn off to the side of the house and shivered as she tried to push away the image of cows in there doing creepy cow things and plotting against humans. It just wasn't right, living out here so close to animals.

As it turned out the barn didn't house any animals, except for a fat orange tomcat. The whole inside had been remodeled to hold a gym for training.

It was kind of sad to think of how many spaces like it had been created even though there were only two slayers in the world. There were so many watchers, all of them trained and waiting for the chance to work with a slayer. Buffy shook off those thoughts as she started working the kinks out of her muscles.

Concentrating on the way her body moved Buffy began a new tumbling routine.

Working though the sequence the first time her body protested its stiff muscles making her movements much less fluid and quick than they could have been. Determined to master the routine she began to repeat it over and over. Concentrating on every twist and turn of her body as she repeated the moves again and again.

Each repetition went a little smoother as she poured herself into the movement of her body. Cares and worries slipped away and she began to think of nothing but the line of her body and the transition to the next move. She needed to be faster, smoother. If she didn't find a way to be faster this vamp would have her for lunch.

The slayer's breathing slowed as the moves became more ingrained in her, passing from rote to muscle memory. With each move the slayer became more sure of herself as her distracted thoughts vanished and her body grew warm and limber. While the sweat began to drip off her body Buffy lost track of time, lost track of anything outside of her own body.

Watcher Lawrence marveled at the sight of the slayer in her power. She was magnificent, and so fast that at times her body seemed to blur in moving, faster than the eye could follow. He had heard many things about slayers, but he hadn't imagined they could all be true. In fact, he had expected the slayer sent would get killed, but now he was beginning to think she might just be able to kill Edward Cullen and survive. He had lived in Forks long enough to know that the vampires who called it home were a very unusual bunch. They had strange powers and walked in the sunlight without being harmed. He did wonder why Edward had suddenly started killing humans when he and his family had been known for only drinking from animals for sustenance.

On the other side of Forks Alice sat straight up, her eyes widening.

She had just had a vision. Only she couldn't figure out what this one had to do with Edward and Bella. She had seen a short curvy blonde woman in what looked like a barn repeating a complex kata over and over again. While it was clear the woman was a fighter there were no other clues to her identity. Why would she be seeing this woman now? What could it possibly have to do with her family?

Alice closed her eyes, bringing the details of her vision back into her mind slowly.

The woman was petite, well tanned, and muscular, but not to muscular. Definitely a fighter, not a body builder. She was young, pretty, but she didn't give the impression of being immature or shallow. The blonde was dressed in simple soft clothes that hugged her body and didn't impede her movement.

Alice felt herself almost blush as her mind lingered on the shorter woman's figure.

In the vision she could never see beyond the inside of the gym where the blonde was working out.

It didn't make any sense. Not unless . . . . Alice dropped her head into her hands, that didn't make sense either. If this was the one who would kill Edward then why hadn't she been able to see her before, in the original vision?

Confused Alice rubbed at her temples as if she was still human and had a headache. She really needed to unwind somehow.

Unbidden, the image of the blonde woman slid into her head. Only this time she was naked and sweating beneath Alice's silken hands. Alice shook her head violently denying the image. She wasn't attracted to women.

Still shaking the picture out of her mind Alice moved to the center of her room and began one of her favorite yoga routines.

Over the years Alice had studied dance, yoga, several martial art forms, and various instruments; but yoga remained one of her favorite ways to pass the time.

As her body bent and twisted in familiar patterns Alice felt herself becoming calmer. Tension seeped out of her body as she found her pace. After a while the worries left her mind.

She could admit to herself now that the blonde woman was attractive. And there was nothing wrong with admitting that. It didn't mean anything. After all, Alice had only ever been with men, there was no reason that would change just because she admitted that the woman in her vision was attractive.

Moving seamlessly from one routine to another Alice continued to work her body as if she still needed the exercise.

She didn't feel it really, the movement was just something to do, something else to focus on, while her mind cleared. It wasn't as if her muscles would get tired or sore, or stiff if she didn't stretch them. As she focused on the smoothness of the movements the image of the blonde slowly faded from her mind's eye.

Some hours later, Alice didn't know how many, it didn't matter much when one didn't need sleep, Bella entered her room. "Hey, can you stay with Renesme for a bit?" Bella asked. "Of course" replied Alice peering closely at Bella. "You need to hunt" she stated, Bella nodded looking down.

"Silly huh? I mean she knows what her family are", Alice shook her head "It's not silly, she's still a little girl, let her be one. She doesn't need to see us feeding." Alice smiled gently, "go on now, take care of yourself, and I can have time with my niece".

So saying Alice made little shooing motions towards the door. The younger vampire smiled lopsidedly.

"Okay Alice, I'll be back soon"

After stopping in the living room to tell Renesme that she would be gone only a short while Bella was out the door.

Alice sat down with her niece and immediately the girl scooted closer and took her hand. Alice had, thankfully, already taken the time to wipe all her thoughts of the mysterious blonde out of her mind. Since touch was Renesme's main means of communication, well, touch and telepathy.

Since Alice was all for keeping her niece innocent for as long as the world they lived in would allow; she definitely didn't want her seeing the last image the brunette vampire had had in her head of the mystery woman.

While Bella hunted, Alice played games with her niece and told her stories about her time in Venice.

After a while the little girl fell asleep. Alice watched her niece sleep, almost envious.

It would have been nice to sleep, at least once in a while. And to dream, oh to dream would have been heavenly.

Hmm, if she couldn't sleep and dream for real, maybe a little daydream would help her relax?

Carefully Alice stretched out beside Renesme, careful so as not to touch her and share her thoughts.

Alice let her mind wander for a bit on the places she had been, the sights she had seen. She wasn't really guiding her thoughts, just letting them drift across her mind lazily, without pattern or reason.

One moment she was laying in a field in France, the next she was on isle la Esme.

For one moment she wished she truly was on the island that Carlisle had bought as a present for Esme. She had a lot of good memories there. Maybe when this was all over they could take Renesme there and teach her to swim. Alice laughed mentally, it might be worth it even though taking her niece there meant putting up with the wet dog smell of the werewolf who had imprinted on her as a future mate.

Then Alice was lying in a huge bed staring up at the open sky over her head. Stars winking and lazily sailing across the night sky. While she watched the stars Alice felt as though she really was adrift, not touching anything, not even the couch. Oh, she knew better, but it was a nice feeling. Feeling warm, safe, as if nothing was wrong in her world. It was a blessing, even if it was only a brief respite.

By the time Bella returned from hunting Alice was sitting in a chair flipping through a book of poetry by Shelly, a favorite of hers. "Hey" Bella said by way of greeting, "how long she been sleeping?". Alice looked up "Not long, did you have a good hunt?" . "Um, yeah, thanks Alice" Bella replied. Alice smiled, one of her enigmatic smiles that could have meant anything, "anytime sweetie, you know I love her as much as you do"

Alice watched as the other vampire gently picked up the sleeping child and carried her off towards her bedroom. The way that the girl curled into her mother, even in sleep, made Alice smile for pure joy. These were the simple pleasures that their kind just didn't get to enjoy. Little Renesme truly was a miracle. Everyone who met her loved her almost instantly.

Buffy sprawled across the motel bed. It had been a good day. She had had a good workout and then she had picked the watcher's brain for every detail he could remember about the nest/family of vampires that called Forks home.

They sounded like a pretty okay bunch really. Right up till Edward had gone over the edge and slaughtered a small group of men who had made his wife upset. Buffy shook her head, vamps who got married and lived as a family. These were a far different kind of vamp than she was used to dealing with. For all of their strange powers they seemed more human than the ones she usually killed, the kind that turned to dust when staked.

The blonde slayer had had more experience with vamps than most. She had even loved few, so she knew that for the most part they didn't really do normal family life. And yet, these ones did. It was something of a puzzle to her. If vampires could do normal, or at least semi-normal, family life, why didn't more of them?

She had seen plenty of nests and cleaned out plenty too. But those weren't really families.

The picture she was getting here was of a group who truly loved and cared for one another, bonds formed of love, rather than simply those between maker and child. In fact, this vampire family reminded her a little of her friends back home.

Buffy's eyes widened, shit!, she really didn't want to think of it that way. It would only make it that much harder for her to kill this vamp.

She was beginning to rethink whether or not she should try to meet these vamps. On the one hand it would be better to know if they would protect the rogue, but on the other, if she met them and they were as human as watcher Corey had said, it would make it harder for her to kill this vamp. If this really was a family she would be taking one of them away, she might hesitate. That was the last thing she could afford with a vamp as fast as him.

Damn, damn, damn, there was never an easy answer.

Frustrated all over again Buffy shrugged on her jacket and headed out to get something to eat.

While the town of Forks may not have had many restaurants to choose from, they all looked really good. After deciding on a diner style place in the middle of town that had the fullest parking lot she had seen yet she sat down and began skimming through the menu.

A few items caught her eye and made her smile. Buffy hadn't seen many places that still did grilled cheese sandwiches anymore. And then there was the tater tot casserole. Buffy fought the urge to grin like a loon.

When the waitress, a girl who looked fresh out of high school, came over Buffy ordered the meatloaf dinner and a grilled cheese on the side. The girl looked at her a little funny, but Buffy knew she would finish the whole meal.

It was a little known fact that slayers tended to eat more than normal humans. Just part of the whole package, super strength, faster healing, and what her fellow slayer Faith called the H&H's.

H&H's stood for hungry and horny. As much as she would have liked to deny that when Faith had first said it, she couldn't. It was just a bluntly honest truth that after a fight a slayer got very hungry, and very horny. Buffy had come to accept it, at times she had let herself revel in it, but things were different now.

When her plates came Buffy saw that as well as smelling delicious the diner served up hearty portions. Suddenly realizing she was starving and hadn't eaten anything since the cookies and tea she had had at the watcher's place. Picking up a fork the blonde slayer dug in.


	4. Chapter 4

_*I do not claim to own any of the characters in this story, only the story itself is mine._

_** Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Real life takes its toll on writing, and I'm afraid stress tends to drive the muse into hiding. Anyways, hope you enjoy this update. And please remember to be kind, this is my first fanfic._

Alice frowned, it wasn't like her to obsess over a human. With the exception of her now, sister in law Bella. But that was different. She had known from the start that Bella would be family eventually.

The blonde woman was different. Alice just couldn't put a finger on how.

Shaking her head Alice went about her routine.

It wasn't until later that Alice began to wonder.

Was the blonde actually human?

She looked human, but some of the things Alice had seen didn't look humanly possible.

Her family had encountered plenty of strange things over the years. And for this woman to be able to kill Edward . . .

the petite blonde had to be more than she seemed.

The question then became, just what could she be?

The slayer couldn't stop wondering about this vampire family.

Did they watch moves together?, play games?

What sort of things did they consider normal family activities?

What really made a family, a family?

She might have to meet them, Edward's family.

That was something she had been desperately trying to avoid.

Damnit, damnit, damnit! Buffy cursed internally.

She had run through everything she knew about this vamp in her head, twice, and it still wasn't enough. She needed info that simply wasn't in the Watcher files. She needed to know the things that only family would know about a person.

She had long ago admitted that vamps could be people. Hell, she had even thought she was in love with one before. Of course that had ended with him breaking her heart so badly she had wondered for a while if she would ever be whole again . . .

But she was the slayer, she had survived.

After all, there was always more evil for her to battle.

Groaning Buffy pulled out her cell phone and placed a call to her on duty Watcher.

Watcher Lawrence reluctantly agreed that there might be something to gain from talking to some of the Cullens.

Before hanging up she had his sincere promise that he would try to arrange a meeting for her with them.

With nothing else she really had to do at the moment Buffy decided to go out for a meal.

The local eateries were turning out to be very good, almost like home she mused.

While the slayer ate she watched the people around her and wondered.

Aside from not eating solid foods, were the vampires really that different from the families dining around her?

The vampires she was used to couldn't have children.

But there was something in the report on this Edward that said he had a daughter.

How would the child react to losing her father?

Was she even a normal child? Would she be old enough to understand why her father had to be stopped?

Buffy had so many questions. Questions that would hopefully be answered soon, if Edward's family were willing to cooperate.

Pulling a small pad and pen from her shoulder bag, the slayer began to jot down the questions as they came to her.

By the time she had finished her meal she had at least two dozen questions on her notepad.

Frowning as she read her impulsive, and sometimes highly personal, questions she decided that she couldn't actually ask all of them out loud.

However, she couldn't bring herself to cross out the ones she thought on second look were too intrusive.

The slayer's curiosity had gotten her into trouble a number of times before but she still couldn't curb it.

She remembered the time she had seen a vamp with "takeout" over his shoulder and followed him. Only to walk into the middle of a nest of baby vamps.

Most of them didn't even know what a slayer was, even though they were living in her town.

It would have been easy for her to dispatch them, had there not been so many.

Only baby vampires would live in such a large group.

Older vamps knew the more of their kind in one nest, the greater the chances of being discovered.

That battle had hurt, they had almost overwhelmed her with numbers. She had been sore for almost a week afterward.

Shrugging again, the slayer put away her questions and looked around for the waitress so she could settle her bill.

A few hours later Buffy was in watcher Lawrence's barn pounding out her frustrations on a heavy bag.

He had told her she was welcome to use the facility at any time.

Watcher Lawrence was no Giles, but he seemed to be an ok guy.

And he understood that vampires weren't all bad, which was a definite plus.

In the past both Buffy and Faith had dealt with watchers who would have staked Angel first and asked who he was later.

A frown creased her brow as she continued to pound on the bag.

Even though Angel had broken her heart in the end, he had helped them out every chance he got.

And he had saved Buffy's life more times than she could count.

Thinking about the handsome vampire with a soul still hurt even though it had been years since they broke up.

Another question for these vampires, though one she might not be able to ask, did they have souls?

Suddenly Lawrence appeared in the door to the barn.

"They have agreed to meet with us"

The brunette vampire was pacing in her room.

She could see that her family had come to a decision about Edward.

And that they were going into town to meet with someone.

What she couldn't see, was who they were meeting in town.

It always made her anxious when there was something she couldn't see in one of her visions.

The last time that had happened Edward had almost committed suicide by breaking the Voltori's rules.

Alice had thought she saw Bella die and Edward had gone to ask the Voltori to kill him because he didn't want to live without his mate.

Now it was Bella who would have to deal with the loss of her mate.

But Bella didn't have the option of just dying.

She had a child to care for, one who couldn't lose both parents. Not now while she was still so young.

Since the moment of Renesme's birth all of the Cullens had taken part, and taken joy, in helping to raise her.

Now their family was broken, diminished.

But they would find a way to live again.

Perhaps in time they would even find new people to call family.

Alice shook her head, it would take a long time to begin to heal their family.

It was a good thing they had time on their side.

Her thoughts turned back to the mystery blonde.

What was she? And for that matter, what was her name?

Picturing the blonde in her mind Alice began a game of trying to guess at her name.

Alyssa? . . .no, Brandy? . . . no, Kelly? . .no, Rachel, Brenda, Amy, Sarah,Melissa . . . .

After about an hour or so Alice decided that the blonde looked like an Anne.

So, for now, that was what she would call her, Anne.

Having decided on the woman's name, Alice sat down and picked up a sketch book.

Few people knew that Alice liked to draw, and that was how she liked it.

Back before they had settled in Forks Alice had made a name for herself in the art world.

But as with all things of that nature for her kind, she had had to leave that life behind far too quickly.

When you were in the public eye people tended to notice faster that you didn't age or change physically, even if you did know a few theatrical tricks with make up.

She had been the darling of the New York art scene for eleven years.

They had considered her a prodigy because she had a talent that seemed to come from far more years than her face showed.

Perhaps it hadn't been fair to other struggling artists at the time that she had the advantage of her vampire nature, but she had just wanted to be adored for a little while.

Jasper had always told her it was selfish and vain of her.

Maybe he had been right, Alice could be vain at times, she knew that, but was it really wrong to want to be recognized for once?

The whirling glitter of the New York elite had been a heady drug for her.

The almost endless parties and gallery openings, the high intellectual conversations, the fine clothes and beautiful jewels.

Alice had loved every minute of it, especially knowing as she did that it couldn't last for long.

Never again had Alice come so close to being able to be completely herself around humans.

For those eleven years she had been blissfully happy.

Strangely, those years she had spent more time away from her family than at any other time since she had come to the Cullens.

Coming out of her memories Alice looked down at her sketchbook, and into Anne's eyes, staring out at her from the page.

The pull she felt from those eyes, even in pen on paper was so strong it startled her into dropping the book.

Alice knew one thing then and there.

She had to meet Anne.

Leaving the sketchbook where it had fallen, Alice laid her head across her arms on the desk.

The slender brunette was beginning to get a suspicion of who Anne was, or at least who she would be to her.

Alice was confused.

If she was right then Anne was here to kill Edward, that alone should have kept Alice from thinking of her in anything resembling friendly terms.

But she was thinking of the blonde in much more than a "friendly" way.

The things she had imagined herself doing with Anne would have made her blush, had she not been a vampire.

And more than that, she WANTED to do those things, wanted it so badly she could almost feel the woman's soft skin against her cheek.

While she was thinking about Anne the rest of her family were preparing to go meet with someone who might be able to help with Edward.

If Alice had known who it was her family were meeting she would have moved heaven and earth to be there.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Cullens didn't know who exactly they were going to be meeting.

And none of then had heard of a slayer before.

They were definitely in for a surprise.

"They've agreed to meet with us. But it must be tonight."

"ok, but why tonight?" Buffy asked.

"They didn't say." Lawrence replied, "but I think they're afraid of the damage he will cause if he goes unchecked for much longer" he offered after a minute.

Buffy just nodded.

The slayer had to wonder why these vampires hadn't taken Edward down when he first became a threat.

But maybe, just maybe, they did love each other enough to stay their hand against killing one of their own.

Buffy frowned as she followed Lawrence into the house to clean up a bit before meeting with the Cullens.

She wished she had time to go back to the motel and shower, but since the meeting was in a little less than two hours and it would take almost half of that to drive there . . .

she would just have to be happy with cleaning up here.

It was a quarter to seven when Buffy spotted the first vampire heading their way, the Cullens were early.

But then Buffy and watcher Lawrence had already been there for twenty minutes.

The spot the Cullens had chosen to meet was a little park between a strip mall and movie theater.

The park was clean and well lit and had a small playground near the center.

The vampire was blonde, a bit taller than the slayer, and had a look on her face suggesting she smelled something unpleasant.

Loose curls framed a face that was attractively rounded and might even have been called angelic.

The blonde vampire paused a short ways away and stood assessing them for a few moments.

Buffy did likewise from her seat on the bench.

This woman might be a subspecies of vamp that she had never seen before but she still showed up on her slayer radar.

Finally the vampire approached them.

"The others will be here in a minute. I'm Rosalie"

With that the vampire offered her hand to shake Buffy's.

Buffy took the vampire's hand after the briefest hesitation and shook it, but Rosalie held on, squeezing her hands hard.

Buffy frowned slightly and squeezed back, knowing the vampire meant to test her strength.

Both held on and kept squeezing for a long moment that was finally broken by a man's voice.

"That's enough Rose"

His voice was even but firm, brooking no argument.

Rosalie looked up, startled, her mouth opening slightly as if to protest.

Then suddenly she dropped her gaze and let go of Buffy's hand.

The slayer refused to rub her hand or show in any way that the vampire's grip had hurt.

"I don't see why anyone would think that she could help. Even if she does know what we are."

Rosalie stated with a huff.

"I apologize for Rosalie. I'm afraid she isn't used to people knowing about us, and even less used to needing help outside of what our little family can provide."

Buffy eyed the man while he spoke.

He looked fairly ordinary.

He was tall, fit looking, but not overly muscular. His blonde hair was finely cut, parted off center and brushed smooth to where the ends just tucked behind his ears.

The dossier had said he was a doctor.

Buffy couldn't help but wonder how he controlled himself around blood day after day.

But even knowing what he was, his face was one that would inspire trust and confidence.

"I'm sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Carlisle Cullen. You've met Rose, and this is Emmet" he said, gesturing behind him to the other vampire.

Emmet was a big guy, Buffy thought he looked like a high school jock.

At being introduced he had waved and said "hi" but he hadn't moved to shake her hand, for that Buffy was grateful.

Buffy had noticed one thing they all had in common.

All three of these vampires had gold irises.

"I'm Buffy, Buffy Summers. And this is Corey Lawrence"

Carlisle nodded and shook both their hands, gently.

"Rose has a point, I'm not sure how you think you can help, you are human, whatever your knowledge of vampires may be."

"Have you ever heard of a Slayer?" Buffy asked, all three vampires shook their heads in confusion.

The next half hour or so was spent explaining to them what a slayer was and how different she was from a "normal" human.

The Cullens looked noticeably discomfited by the description of a slayer's job so Buffy had taken pity on them and explained that the only reason she had been sent to Forks was because of the problem with Edward.

They had taken it better than she expected.

And better yet they had agreed to help her train and set a trap for Edward.

"Edward is the fastest of us, you'll need to be prepared for that. Alice should be able to give you a taste of how fast he is".

Then Carlisle had added with a faint smile, "she's almost as fast as he is".

They had told Buffy that Alice was with Edward's wife and child, in a safe house.

Since Bella and the child Renesme were what had sett Edward off they had thought it best that he not see them again.

Carlisle, Emmet, and Rosalie had answered most of the questions Buffy had asked.

The slayer could see now why they couldn't bring themselves to kill Edward even though they knew he was a threat, not only to them, but to everyone within a hundred miles of Forks.

Carlisle had agreed that Rosalie would go to stay at the safe house with Bella and Renesme, and Alice would meet with Buffy and help train her to deal with Edward.

There was a lot of information for Buffy to process.

For one thing, the Cullens didn't feed off of humans.

And for another, they were a family in every sense of the word that Buffy knew.

This was probably the strangest slaying job she had ever been sent on.


End file.
